CHAPTER 177: THE CAPTAIN’S TRIAL BEGIN

(POV: Caspian)

The room was silent for a hall filled with 25 of the nation’s most dangerous young talents. The hum of the projector broke through the stillness, and the question appeared on the giant arcane screen at the front.

....

Your team of 5 prodigy warriors has just entered the Forsaken Fortress, deep inside enemy territory. The fortress is filled with hostile troops, and your goal is to retrieve an ancient weapon before sunrise.

You have exactly 30 minutes before enemy reinforcements arrive in overwhelming numbers.

However, the fortress has three heavily guarded gates:

The Front Gate is guarded by the largest enemy force but offers the quickest access.

The Side Gate has minimal guards but leads through a winding maze that will consume valuable time.

The Secret Underground Gate is little known, lightly guarded—but entering it requires decoding a complex magical seal that your team only partially understands.

...

Caspian’s eyes scanned the text quickly, taking mental notes.

I know Outlings are watching this mission. They want blood—ours.

He turned his head just slightly.Fianna sat two seats away, frowning hard, deep in thought.Kairos cracked his knuckles. Naomi was already scribbling. Lyria, composed. Sephina closed her eyes, lips moving—thinking in silence.

A timer ticked above the screen.00:01:24 left to read.

Think smart. Everyone here’s a prodigy. If I give a generic answer, I’ll be just another extra.

i need to become leader to counter the outling plan.

He leaned back in his chair, thinking beyond the question.

They’re not asking for the fastest route...They’re asking who understands the weight of leadership. Risk. Sacrifice. Purpose.

"Begin your responses," the professor announced as the timer hit zero.

Caspian didn’t rush.

"Before you pick a gate, you pick a principle." he thought

Caspian tapped the edge of his pen, eyes locked on the screen.

Three gates. One goal. 30 minutes. Pick wrong, and everyone dies.

Inside his mind, a low voice stirred.

Bloodmoon:

{The front gate is bait. They want you to act brave. And the side gate?}

Bloodmoon:

{Slow. Predictable. You’ll fail before reaching the core. Too much time lost in the maze.}

So underground?

Bloodmoon:

{The seal is dangerous.}

Caspian exhaled slowly.

He began writing.

...

Caspian’s Written Response

Roll number : 07

Tactic: Risk Distribution

We are five member.

I divide the team into two specialized units:

Unit Alpha (2 members (wind maze,earth maze)): go to side Gate and will leave traces of them on path will stop moving at 20th minute and wait for our signal to move forward or to come back at the 20th minute.

Unit Beta (3 members): Myself included. We approach the Secret Underground Gate.

The seal won’t open easily, but I assign the best rune/magic decoder to it, while the second person defends and I scout the inner layout by aura scan.

If the seal breaks in 20 minutes or less, we proceed with it.

If not, then follow unit alpha.

I choose the Underground Gate and Side gate, not because it’s safest — but because it buys us the right kind of risk, and specialist of that thing will work on it.

He stopped writing. Just clarity — and a plan based on trust in others.

.....

Vynesaa’s Written Response

Roll number: 41

Tactic: Flow of the Wind, Roots of the Forest

I would choose the Side Gate.

Why? Because predictable violence (Front Gate) is a trap. And unstable seals (Underground) delay more than they solve.

I assign a nature-sensing mage (myself) to lead the route. Tree-sense and wind direction help cut time by half.

Meanwhile, a secondary stealth team places natural traps behind us — giving us 10 minutes of additional security from pursuit.

The goal is not just retrieving the weapon, but ensuring it doesn’t fall into enemy hands.

Survival is the first victory. Completion is the second.

....

Oliver’s Written Response

Roll number :35

Tactic: Controlled Pressure

Begin with Underground Gate. Assign the top two magic specialists to the seal, one defender on overwatch, and two runners near Side Gate.

10 minutes into the operation, if the seal is not broken, abandon the gate. Use maze as entry.

Side Gate’s winding path becomes more manageable when split into time segments. With proper map decoding, time loss is minimal.

Front Gate is a decoy — never worth touching unless you have a death wish.

In leadership, plan B is not a backup. It is your silent primary.

Oliver underlined that last sentence.

....

Darian’s Written Response

.

Tactic: Break the Door, Burn the Room

I take the Front Gate. Always.

Why?

I lead from the front. Hit them hard, make them scared. When you’re faster and stronger, there’s no such thing as "overwhelming force."

I take four behind me. Two mages for ranged cover. Two warriors for shock entry. I lead the assault.

The weapon’s behind the door. I walk through it.

Anyone who hesitates? They die anyway.

He signed his paper with a smear of fire-ink.

.....

The professor collected their papers.

Caspian glanced at Vynesaa — she didn’t look back.Fianna gave him a slight nod. Sephina leaned over her desk, whispering something to Naomi.

They all think differently. But this isn’t about the "best" plan .It’s about trust. In chaos .And whether you’ll hesitate when it’s real.

The clock hit 30 minutes sharp.

The classroom, once buzzing with quiet murmurs, went still as Professor Arlin entered — his crisp coat billowing slightly behind him.

No one dared to speak.

"I’ve read all your answers," he said, placing a stack of tablets on the podium. "Some were sharp. Some were safe. A few... made me question your common sense."

A few students chuckled — nervous, light, trying to breathe through the pressure. Even Darian, usually cocky, sat straighter.

Then, Arlin’s eyes landed on Caspian for a second longer than necessary.

"But among all of them... one response didn’t just answer the question. It outlined a strategy, accounted for team morale, fallback plans, and unexpected variables."

His pause was deliberate.

"The student who will act as captain for this A-Rank mission is..."